Topics At A Glance

Habitat for Humanity

Inmates from Eastern Pre-release Unit completed five Habitat for Humanity houses at Federalsburg in Caroline County.

Inmates continue to work on four new properties there, and DPSCS is exploring other potential Habitat partnerships.

Williamsport’s Full-time Inmate Labor Detail

In 2008, the town of Williamsport in Washington County was the first to ask for a full-time inmate labor crew. So successful has been the work done by the inmates, that in the spring of 2010, the town called a news conference and lauded DPSCS and Division of Correction (DOC) personnel.

The inmates have done everything from rebuilding the largest barn in Maryland to installing restrooms and painting the town hall.

Their work has saved Williamsport more than $40,000 in labor costs.

Inmate crews have performed more than 4,000 hours of work throughout the town.

Williamsport’s mayor reports “zero problems” with the inmates. The town carpenter, who sometimes supervises them, adds: “They’ve been a great help to the community.”

Hagerstown Newspaper Poll

The Hagerstown Herald-Mail conducted a poll, asking its readers whether inmate labor outside prison walls was a good idea. The overwhelming response among voters was yes: 88% of the people who responded resoundingly approved (The Herald-Mail, April 20, 2010).

Veterans Cemeteries

Maryland continues to be the only state in the country to use honorably-discharged veteran inmates to restore State veterans cemeteries.

Currently, four of the state’s five veterans cemeteries are being restored and tended by inmates.

Inmates from Southern Maryland Pre-release Unit (SMPRU) and Central Maryland Correctional Facility worked more than 9,611 hours at the cemeteries in FY10. Brockbridge Correctional Facility inmates also contributed several thousand hours.

Through a unique partnership with the State Department of Veterans Affairs, inmates may qualify for permanent jobs in veterans cemeteries once they are released from prison. Three inmates were hired in the past fiscal year.

Salisbury Safe Streets

In the spring of 2010, pre-release inmates from Poplar Hill and Eastern Correctional Institution (ECI) hit the streets of Salisbury, removing trash, clearing alleys of brush, and concentrating on neighborhoods in the “Safe Streets” initiative.

Inmates also removed 10 tons of debris from seven miles of railroad right-of-way directly alongside U.S. 13 Business, the main north-south road through the heart of the city.

The Salisbury Daily Times editorialized that the inmate labor arrangement was a fantastic idea, declaring, “It’s working for Salisbury…to everyone’s benefit” (The Daily Times, May 5, 2010).

In addition to the Salisbury work, ECI inmates are on a special test work detail in Somerset County, marking the first time that jurisdiction has allowed outside inmate details in 23 years.